Vol. 35, Issue 2September 1, 2022 VISIT US ONLINE: arbiteronline.com @arbiteronline @arbiteronline@arbiteronline With Khalil Shakir’s departure to the NFL, who will fill his role this football season? SPORTS & REC 17 Personal safety app Rave Guardian is now available to the Boise State community. NEWS 04 With the high costs of meal plans on campus, the Campus Food Pan try is essential to students. OPINION 08 New visual art exhibit “Assembling Self” by Marianna Jimenez Ed wards is now open in the SUB. CULTURE 14 INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF BOISE STATE SINCE 1933 a forgotten history of corporate presence on campus the fight for cesar chavez lane
Online Editor Kelby Andrew onlineeditor@stumedia.boisestate.edu
Brydon Black news@stumedia.boisestate.edu
Sports & Rec Editor Adam Bridges sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu
News Reporters Drew Becker and Kate Jacobson news@stumedia.boisestate.edu
Digital Content Producer Elise Ledesma Graphic Design Manager Sasha White design@stumedia.boisestate.edu
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Distributed every few weeks during the academic school year and online daily, The Arbiter is the official independent student newspaper of Boise State University, where student editors make all content decisions and bear responsibility for those decisions. The Arbiter’s budget consists of fees paid by the student body and advertising sales. The first copy is free. Additional copies can be purchased for $1 a piece at The Arbiter offices. ADDRESS: Student Media MS 19101340WUniversity Dr. Boise, ID 83725-1340 on first floor of Lincoln State gathered Union Night on Aug. 19. Thornton more about the backstory of one of campus’ most traveled roads, Cesar Chavez Lane — a piece of Boise State history born out of a political struggle between student/faculty groups and university administrators over the controversial naming of the former Taco Bell Arena. a student-run organization, we produce accurate and hyper-local information through non-partisan and socially responsible media.
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START SEMESTERTHE STRONG With $150 from ICCU.* Open online at iccu.com/BackToSchool with promo code BACKTOSCHOOL150 *To receive $150 you must be a new member and open a checking account with a $100 minimum balance and have eBranch, eStatements, and a Debit Card. $150 to be deposited at time of signing up for eBranch, eStatements, and Debit Card in conjunction with membership and checking account. Membership required, based on eligibility. Membership at ICCU requires a Share Savings Account with minimum opening deposit of $25 and a one-time $5 membership fee. Account must remain open for minimum of six months from reward date or $150 will be debited from account at closing. Must be 18 years of age or older. Limit one reward per person, per household. O er expires 10/31/22. iccu.com
If an individual uses the app to contact the Department of Public Safety, whether by directly calling or by setting them as their guardian, the university will follow up to ensure the user is safe.
Kate Jacobson | Reporter | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu
“Generally we’ll send a security officer and a police officer to go meet with [the caller] and figure out what’s going on,” Monroe said. “But if it’s a true emergency situation we still recommend that people callRave911.”Guardian can also be used to report tips to the Department of Pub lic Safety. These tips can include health violations, harassment, assault, accidents and any other incident an individual feels should be reported.
Although the app is available to all stu dents and faculty, not everyone has taken advantage of the app’s potential. According to Monroe, Boise State has roughly 1,000 active users of Rave Guardian, a mere fraction of its student body. “I would highly encourage everyone to download it,” Monroe said. “Anything we can do to increase the safety of our campus is important.”Monroealso mentioned the Department of Public Safety’s goal to expand the app’s features to include more campus resources and integrate with Bronco Alert, Boise State’s emergency notification system.
News
Those wishing to stay anonymous have the option to do so by submitting their tip anonymously to the Department of Public Safety through the app.
4NEWS | ARBITERONLINE.COMSEPTEMBER 1, 2022 September 1, 2022 | ARBITERONLINE.COM
“We’re looking at keeping the [blue-light phone] program,” Monroe said. “There are times people don’t have their phones (or) their phones are dead, and that’s still another option.”
In 2021, Boise State had nearly 100 reported instances of both petty theft and grand theft, according to the campus crime logs. The tip line is an effective way for issues like theft to be reported to the university.Inaddition to the Rave Guardian app, Boise State University still provides emer gency blue-light phones across campus that allow the user to contact the Depart ment of Public Safety or 911.
PERSONAL SAFETY APP, RAVE GUARDIAN, AVAILABLE AT BOISE STATE
ntroducing Rave Guardian, a free personal safety app available to all Boise State University students and Thefaculty.appprovides several resources to the Boise State community, including a tip line, a safety timer, a list of emergency procedures and a quick way to contact the Department of Public Safety or 911. For students who might feel unsafe walking through campus alone, the safety timer adds an extra measure of caution. Assuming it takes 15 minutes to walk home, all the user has to do is set a timer for any length of time in the app and turn it off when they’ve safely reached their destination. If the user does not turn off their timer, an alert with the user’s GPS location is sent out to the Department of PublicAlternatively,Safety. an individual can request for their location to be sent to a “guardian” instead. Users can register a parent, friend or trusted adult as their guardian in the app.“You can designate who your guardian is,” said Tana Monroe, director of Security, Police and Event Operations at Boise State. “It could be the security department, it could be our public safety department, but you can also decide, ‘I want my mom or my friend as my guardian.’” Setting a personal contact as a guardian is especially helpful when the user is not on campus. The safety timer can be set up no matter the location, but it cannot contact Boise State unless the user is near theInuniversity.regardsto location data, Rave Guard ian states that “you can only be located when you have asked for help.” The user’s location is tracked when making an emergency call or after their safety timer expires.TheBoise State University crime log shows that in 2021 there were over a dozen reports of sexual assault and battery on campus, nearly all of which were reported between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Rave Guardian’s safety timer offers a layer of protection for individuals walking alone on campus late at night.
Rave Guardian is available for free download on both IOS and Android devices. Those without the app can still contact Boise State’s Department of Public Safety at (208) 426-6911 or publicsafety@ boisestate.edu.
Boise State isn’t the only university to use Rave Guardian. The app is used by campuses across the country. Roughly 65% of the higher education population attend a university that utilizes the app, according to data from Rave Guardian.
Rave Guardian gives Boise State students and staff quick access to the Department of Public Safety and 911. Taya Thornton | The Arbiter
App offers safety timer and tip hotline connected to Department of Public Safety
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About 2 million young men took part in this program during the 1930s. The CCC planted more than three billion trees and constructed trails and shelters in more than 800 parks nationwide during its nine years of existence, according to PBS.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs played a large role in Boise State Uni versity’s development. Photo courtesy of Boise State Special Collections “The New Deal [began in 1933] and included widespread jobs programs, new government agen cies, conservation efforts and nationwide infrastructure projects.”
Brydon Black | News Editor | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu oise State University is ap proaching its 90th anniversary, having been founded just one before Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in 1933. But what exactly does the New Deal have to do with a university in You’dBoise?be surprised. History tells that the global network of capital came to a grinding halt in 1929, forcing millions of Americans into the worst economic depression in U.S. history. Though this was an era marked by star vation, racial segregation, uncertainty and poverty, it was also filled with radical labor politics and fascist sympathizers among the American elite — so much so that large motivating factors behind Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal coalition was to avoid any possibility of a socialist revolution or fascist takeover of the federal government during this time of crisis. In extinguishing these possibilities, Roosevelt avoided a fascist coup known as “The Business Plot” and pacified the country’s radical left-wing through his administration’s New Deal programs.
According to the CCC Legacy website, nine camps existed in Boise alone between 1933 and 1941. By June of 1933, state managers of the Veterans Administration would be responsible for hiring 100 World War I veterans from Idaho to join the CCC according to the Cascade Newspa per.The CCC would keep expanding quotas and eventually, in Idaho alone, 86,000 sons of Idaho’s working families were enrolled, according to The University of Idaho archives.
These job programs came in the form of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Work’s Progress Administration (WPA) and the Public Works Administration (PWA).OneBoise resident that experienced this era personally was Erma Jean Woodyard. Woodyard is a 92-year-old Boisean who was born one year after the Depression hit. She invited The Arbiter into her home to talk about what it was like growing up during this time. “We came out here when I was three. It was some old Ford 25’ and like most people in 1934, we camped alongside the road,” Woodyard said. “There were bun dles (of luggage) on top of the car, around the spare tire and on the running boards and so forth. The canvas water bag was tied to the front bumper.” Woodyard’s mother would tell her stories about seeing CCC camps on their drives to town. The CCC was created to bring economic relief to young men aged 18 through 25.
The Boise ski scene has the CCC to thank for Bogus Basin. In 1938, the CCC started constructing Bogus Basin Road. After 24 months, Bogus Basin became a recreational area. In 1941, this center turned into a ski area after the Bogus Basin Recreational Association (BBRA) was incorporated to raise funds and oversee the maintenance of the ski area, according to livingnewdeal.org.TheWorksProgress Administration was among the most successful New Deal pro grams. This jobs program employed more than 8.5 million people. Employees built bridges, roads, public buildings, public parks and airports, according to PBS news. Boise Junior College was established in 1932. The College was without a perma nent home until the construction of its current campus in 1940-42. The land was previously owned by the Boise airfield, which moved to its current location at Gowen Field, according to livingnewdeal. org.The Administration Building, Heating Plant, Assembly Hall, the original Student Union, campus infrastructure, landscaping and original structures were all funded through the WPA.
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The New Deal spanned from 1933-1941 and included widespread jobs programs, new government agencies, conservation efforts and nationwide infrastructure projects.Inorder to pay for these programs, laws such as the Revenue Act of 1935 introduced progressive Wealth Taxes that took up to 75% of the highest incomes, according to the IRS. What is not commonly known about the New Deal is the integral part these jobs’ programs played toward the success of Boise State University and the City of Boise as a whole.
NEWS5| ARBITERONLINE.COMSEPTEMBER 1, 2022 THE HISTORY OF BOISE STATE AND THE NEW DEAL
How campus was shaped by Depression-era reforms
In Glenn Barrett’s “Boise State Univer sity: searching for excellence, 1932-1984,” the author mentions how the library was constructed with funds provided by the Public Works Administration, a New Deal infrastructure program. All told, the City of Boise and Boise State University would look a lot different had it been vacant from America’s New Deal reforms.
“When a physician reasonably de termines that the necessary stabilizing treatment is an abortion, state law cannot prohibit the provision of that care,” the Department of Justice stated in a press release.Idaho government officials believe that the federal government is in the wrong with their lawsuit, arguing that it was the responsibility of the Department of Justice to work with Idaho to ensure EMTALA and the trigger law were in agreement.
U.S District Judge B. Lynn Winmill heard arguments for the Department of Justice’s preliminary injunction request on Aug. 22. Winmill has made it clear that this case is not about the legality of abortions, but rather conflict between state and federal law. “Dobbs is the law of the land and that will not be questioned here,” Winmill said during the hearing.
NEWS O n Aug. 2, the U.S. De partment of Justice filed a lawsuit against Idaho’s new law regulating the practice of abortion (Idaho Code §18-622), marking the Biden Administration’s first legal action to protect access to abortions since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
“Instead of complying with the require ments of this provision and reconciling Idaho’s law with EMTALA, or even attempting to engage Idaho in a mean ingful dialogue on the issue, the federal government has chosen to waste taxpayer dollars on an unnecessary lawsuit,” Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said in a public statement.
“It’s just crazy to me that women might have to experience avoidable [medical] problems because they were told they can’t have an abortion,” Jenna said. One example that was repeatedly brought up in court was what happens when a patient suffers an ectopic pregnan cy — when an egg implants outside the womb. In this situation, the individual’s life may not be in any immediate danger right away, meaning that aborting the fetus would violate Idaho law despite the fact that the pregnancy could become life-threatening later on.
“[The trigger law] is super strict. I think it’s important, for doctors and women, to not be scared of the law when it’s an emergency,” said Jenna, a sophomore communications major at Boise State, who asked for only her first name to be used to protect her privacy.
Taya Thornton | The Arbiter
The hearing was centered around scenar ios in which an abortion may be needed to avoid further medical issues, but not neces sary to save the person’s life.
The trigger law took effect Aug. 25 and makes it a criminal offense for health care professionals to provide an abortion under almost any circumstance.
The Idaho law was triggered following the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organiza tion which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned the issue of abortion to the states.
The lawsuit against the state of Idaho is the first major motion of the Reproduc tive Rights Task Force, which the Justice Department established following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The Department of Justice filed a preliminary injunction on Aug. 8 to stop Idaho’s trigger law from taking effect while the lawsuit is settled. Planned Parenthood filed a similar motion against Idaho earlier in the summer, but was denied by the Ida ho Supreme Court in a 3-2 decision.
The state of Idaho is expected to appeal the decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which took effect in July 2022, was designed to establish a simple, universal way for individuals in crisis to access the resources and support that they need. This is particularly critical in Idaho where suicide is 1.5x higher than the national average.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST IDAHO ABORTION LAW
Judge rules that law violates Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act
Idaho’s law only makes exceptions if the abortion is essential in preventing the death of the pregnant person, or in instances of rape or incest, in which case a police report is required. Medical profes sionals found violating said law could be subject to up to five years in prison.
Kate
The ruling in the lawsuit against Idaho has the potential to set a precedent for sim ilar lawsuits that could be seen throughout the country. Other states attempting to enact abortion bans may have to expand their exemptions for medical emergencies.
Attorneys for the Idaho Legislature argued that doctors will still be able to use their best medical judgment, stating in court that “in the real world there will not be prosecution [in such situations].”
While Idaho is standing firm behind its law, dozens of other states have expressed support for the Department of Justice. On Aug. 16, the attorney generals in 20 states, along with the District of Columbia, col lectively filed a “friend of the court” brief supporting the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Idaho. “If patients in Idaho are denied neces sary emergency abortion care, they may travel to nearby States,” the brief said. “These States would experience additional pressures on their already overwhelmed hospital systems.”
Jacobson | News Reporter | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu 6 | ARBITERONLINE.COMSEPTEMBER 1, 2022
After just two days of deliberation, Win mill released a written statement partially blocking Idaho’s trigger law. The entirety of the law was not blocked, but Winmill agreed that the trigger law does not include enough provisions to protect medical professionals who perform an abortion during an emergency.
The Department of Justice argues that §18-622 is preempted by the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTA LA). EMTALA requires Medicare-funded hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to any patient that arrives.
The Department of Justice sued the state of Idaho for violating the Emergency Med ical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
Sophomore political science major Adam Jones (right) was elected to serve as ASB SU president for the 2022-2023 school year. Photo courtesy of ASBSU
“Some of our initiatives include work ing with the other Idaho universities and the Idaho legislature to approve a new scholarship program to help keep Idaho students in Idaho by offering more fund ing for top academic performing students - many of whom are currently leaving the state to seek their higher education elsewhere,” Jones wrote. “Idaho students should not be offered more money to leave Idaho instead of staying here to receive a quality higher education.”
As president, Jones hopes to increase communication between students and student government
- Adam Jones, ASBSU President
MEET BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT, ADAM JONES
A dam Jones, a sophomore polit ical science major and former Republican Party intern, was elected in March of 2022 to serve as president of the Associated Stu dents of Boise State University (ASBSU) for the 2022-2023 term. Jones and current ASBSU Vice President Ryan Bernard received a 50.6% majority with 752 out of 1,535 votes, accounting for 10% of eligible voters on campus. During the March ASBSU candidate de bate, Jones mentioned his disappointment with the low voter turnout in recent years and further emphasized the importance of communication between student govern ment and the student body. “I think transparency is one of the biggest problems I see at this school,” Jones said during the debate. “We need to be holding our meetings in a public area where [students] can see what we’re doing.” Jones also said that he believes “working with the state legislature is a vital part of student government,” referencing his work as a legislative intern for Idaho Republican Sens. James Holtzclaw and Rod Furniss. One of Jones’ goals is to model the Ida ho Legislature at the university level. “What I’d like to see next year that we haven’t seen this year is students coming to ASBSU, testifying things they want to see us do,” Jones said during the debate.
7| ARBITERONLINE.COMSEPTEMBER 1, 2022 “What
Jones’ plans also include bolstering Greek life on campus, with hopes to “identify and set aside land or the develop ment of Greek row at BSU to be funded by donors much the way other expansion projects are funded here at BSU,” Jones wrote. During the debate, Jones spoke of plans to create two new positions that rep resent Greek life in the ASBSU executive council.“This is your campus, and we want you to feel part of it and have your own voice,” Jones said in a video on ASBSU’s insta gram.
Drew Becker | News Reporter | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu I’d see next year that we haven’t seen this year is students coming to ASBSU, testifying things they want to see us do... Where we’re supposed to be closer to the students, we are actually more removed from them because we don’t take their input directly.”
“At the Idaho State Legislature, if you’re passionate about something, you go and testify the bill. Not here at ASBSU. Where we’re supposed to be closer to the students, we are actually more removed from them because we don’t take their input directly.” Jones further outlined his goals in an email to The Arbiter, which include founding a scholarship aimed at retaining Idaho students during the transition from secondary education into college.
Regarding his goals for the upcoming school year, Jones wrote, “My goal is to help make it easier for students to com plete their degree in four years, to avoid needless fees, to have a positive experience, and to avoid going into debt by making sure we are doing what we can to help studentsDuringsucceed.”thedebate in March, Jones raised the possibility of eliminating student overload fees if they take more than 16 credits in a semester. At the time of pub lication, the fee is $252 per credit past 16 credits.“BSU is the only institution in Idaho that charges a fee if a student takes more than 16 credits in a given semester,” Jones wrote. “This is wrong and unfairly penaliz es students trying to graduate on time.”
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NEWS
The Campus Food Pantry is an accesisble alternative for students who can’t afford Boise State’s meal plans. Taylor Humby | The Arbiter
I t’s no secret that food prices have increased dramatically post-pandem ic. This is true for both grocery stores and restaurants. Even at Boise State, meal plans can be financially difficult to access for some students. Since the start of the new fall semester, many have already noticed that the food in the Student Union Building (SUB) is priced substantially higher than it was in the past. Food insecurity shouldn’t be a worry for full-time or part-time students at any university, and it seems that the prices are reflecting the issue at hand. There is a solution to this. Myself, along with many other students in my close circle of friends, have taken advantage of the Campus Food Pantry located in the Campus School at Boise State. The Campus Food Pantry is open to all students and offers access to free food and hygiene products.
Keep in mind that this does not ac commodate dietary choices for students who may be vegan or vegetarian. These students’ dietary accommodations are dis cussed by a review panel, who then decide if the exemption is valid for acceptance.
With the understanding that students are encouraged to eat meals from the uni versity’s dining services throughout their school year, it is difficult to grasp the idea that the second most expensive meal plan is the “default” choice, disregarding the student’s financial situation.
As an avid Campus Food Pantry user, it is hard to go back to the dining halls. Fast food chains are more financially accessible for students than their own dining hall.
The most expensive meal plan, the “Blue” plan, is the most expensive option, starting at almost $2,600 per semester. It is understood that a student has access to un limited meals per week in addition to $400 in dining dollars and five guest meals. For some, however, that is not an attainable price to keep a student fed. The plans drop down to $2,365 and $2,088 and then onto the cheapest plan of $85 for 10 meals throughout an entire calendar year. That’s unlimited meals compared to 10 for an entire calendar year. It’s not feasible nor is it monetarily logistic. For those who are looking for a week-to-week option, dining dollars are available to fill the specific amount that a student needs thatGivenweek.all this, there is an underlying pressure from other students for under classmen to experience the dining halls. For that to happen, the student needs to have a meal plan. There are no options for free trials or for those who need an extra financial boost in order to stay nourished.
In her State of the University Address, Dr. Marlene Tromp touches on access to the university for all students, implying that there is a precedent in place for more affordable tuition prices or even meal plans. These plans have yet to be announced.Itisalso interesting to note that firstyear students who live on campus and any students who live in first-year designated housing are required to have a weekly meal plan. If a student does not have a plan picked by the beginning of the fall semester, the Trailblazer meal plan will be automatically added to the student’s account.That’s a $2,400 meal plan.
OPINION September 1, 2022 | ARBITERONLINE.COM THE IMBALANCE BETWEEN MEAL PLAN PRICES AND AFFORDABILITY Exploring the underlying prices of meal plans on campus and their alternatives Amanda Niess | Opinion Editor | opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu 8 | ARBITERONLINE.COMSEPTEMBER 1, 2022
There is also an obligation to pay for the selected meal plan, which may be the “default” Trailblazer option, until the exemption request is approved and there is no timestamp given for how long that mayThesetake.meal plan prices aren’t going any where any time soon, but there are alter natives for eating well and staying healthy while attending Boise State University on a fixed budget.
Another reason as to why the food pan try should be utilized more is because of the dietary restrictions that some students face.The dining offices require students to fill out the Discuss Dietary Accommodations survey which is only the beginning of a never ending journey for students.
As a society, it has become a general expectation that we treat each other with an equal amount of respect and open mindedness when responding to opposing opinions. However, not everyone can hold a healthy and constructive conversation with those who hold differing perspectives.
Many of those who grew up in Gener ation Z, find that it’s difficult to converse with older generations because of this issue that Tromp is attempting to eliminate in the Boise State community. Tromp states that this idea of treating people with respect and open perspectives has been known by teachers and professors for generations, but it seems she is implying that younger generations on campus are close-minded and lacking the respect she thinks our older generations have.
Tromp strives in every aspect to lead us — the student body, staff and faculty — to reach the promised higher standard of excellence.
The naivety behind this assumption is what currently plagues the waters for our youngHowever,generations.theconfidence within Tromp and her team seemed to feel relative ly structured for a successful future as an administration and university. The administration is thinking of new ways to both create and serve a community, while simultaneously connecting, listening and learning from each other to “become better.”Itwill be curious to see how these abstract thoughts will become concrete actions to make sure every student, faculty and staff member feels seen and heard.
O ver the past three years at Boise State, our student body and faculty have faced many challenges. Despite these chal lenges, we as a university have persevered, and these efforts are coming to light.
Regarding the feelings of optimism that Dr. Tromp mentioned in her address, it was almost condescending to hear the push for maintaining an open mind. Upon certain observation, it seems that there is a divide of the student body amongst many corners of the university, whether it be in Greek life or extracurriculars.
COMMENTARY: REFLECTING ON THE STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS Will the university transform abstracts thoughts into concrete action?
As expected, Dr. Tromp spoke about the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including those that took a direct toll on faculty, staff and students alike. However, Tromp confidently stated that the univer sity had completed its mission of greater academic excellence and saw a record number of graduates during this time, which is reassuring.
“As a student body, it is not certain whether or not a professor or another student will agree with the opposing opinions, but to Tromp, it is expected that we strive to listen and learn from one another this year going forward.”
OPINION
Taking into consideration the generic promise of continuing to be come better as a university, it feels mildly underwhelming to hear the redundancy of these given
On Aug. 17, 2022, Boise State’s Presi dent, Dr. Marlene Tromp, delivered this year’s State of the University Address to an audience both in person and online. She remained fairly optimistic about the past, present and future of the university. De spite the smoke and mirrors, Tromp deliv ered a heartfelt speech which touched on many aspects of the university both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Marlene Tromp presented an optomistic outlook for Boise State’s future, but will the university transform its abstract thoughts into concrete action? Elise Ledesma | The Arbiter
Accordingstatements.toherspeech,
As a student body, it is not certain whether or not a professor or another student will agree with the opposing opin ions, but to Tromp, it is expected that we strive to listen and learn from one another this year going forward. The university is finally coming out of hibernation, as are many other universi ties across the nation. However, there is a higher expectation to be held against Boise State’s administration for keeping everyone safe, happy and successful both academi cally and socially.
The speech goes on to reveal a “cleareyed focus” on the university’s goal regard ing the development of students, develop ment of new knowledge and development of relationships.
The Blueprint for Success is the afore mentioned abstract thoughts that are set to build the university up in respect and notability.Inheraddress, Tromp maps the blue print to ensure everyone’s access to enroll ing to and attending the university and to question strategies of innovativeness.
Amanda Niess | Opinion Editor | opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu 9| ARBITERONLINE.COMSEPTEMBER 1, 2022
THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF CESAR CHAVEZ LANE HOW THE CAMPUS ROAD GOT ITS NAME AND THE ROLE OF CORPORATE PRESENCE ON CAMPUS BRYDON BLACK | NEWS EDITOR | NEWS@STUMEDIA.BOISESTATE.EDU GRAPHICS BY SASHA WHTE
One person in particular was not a fan of the street’s renaming: Velma Morrison. The Morrison family fortune comes from the late family patriarch, Harry W. Morrison. Harry Morrison made his mon ey in construction. He retired as chairman of the MorrisonKnudsen (MK) Company, Inc. several years prior to his death in 1971, according to The New York Times. MK executed projects all around the globe, including building the Hoover Dam and the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
The controversy began in 2004 when The Pavillion in Boise was renamed as Taco Bell Arena. This angered student groups and faculty because of an ongoing national boycott of Taco Bell in support of the Immokalee tomato farm worker’s strike in TheFlorida.Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) called for this boycott, urging the fast food giant to “take responsibility for human rights abuses in the fields where its produce is grown and picked,” according to CIW’s website.
Former Boise State President Bob Kustra echoed Parker’s sentiments, saying, “I wouldn’t doubt that the Cesar Chavez naming was one way to deal with issues of the Taco Bell Arena,” during a phone interview with The Arbiter.
ake a summer bike ride under the cottonwoods along the Boise River, and as you pass Boise State University, you’ll find yourself on Cesar Chavez Lane. Cesar Chavez, whom the busy street was named after, was a Hipanic labor and civil rights leader known for helping found the United State’s largest farm union, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), along with co-founder Dolores Huerta. Chavez was known for adhering to nonviolent principles and generating controversy throughout his long career as an organizer, such as when he red-baited a longtime UFW volunteer to meeting with Philippines’ dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, in Controversial1977.
“BSU’s statement was that they wanted to recognize union leaders and people speaking up for underrepresented works, ... but we thought the reason for this was for the pressure put on to the university.”
On Dec. 20, 2006, Velma Morrison sent an email to Blake, expressing her disagree ment with the street name change. “I would like the name of the street location of the Morrison Center to remain Campus lane,” Velma Morrison wrote. “Please let me know what needs to be done to ensure that there is not a name change of this particular street.” The reason for Velma’s opposition was not made clear in the email. “I was told Velma Morrison was origi nally from the central valley of California where Chavez was very controversial in his early years as an organizer,” Kustra wrote in a text message to The Arbiter, “and that is the reason Velma was opposed to renam ing the Publicdrive.”records indicate the school was ready to make a concession for one of their most generous donors.
Parker said that there was a lot of pressure put on administration by student groups and faculty members at the time over the arena’s new name. Some expressed that the naming of Cesar Chavez Lane felt like a Moreconcession.specifically, student groups on campus targeted university president Bob Kustra to express disapproval over the uni versity’s 15-year, $4 million deal with Taco Bell. In an attempt to appease students over the naming of Taco Bell Arena, Kustra decided to dedicate a street to a leader representing the other side of the fight for agriculture worker’s rights: Cesar Chavez.
Velma Morrison Lane
On May 16, 2007, Macguire followed up with Simmons in an email withdrawing the request. It is unclear why the university withdrew this application.
- Ro Parker, former Boise State student and director of Student Equity
One former Boise State student who remembers these events and attended the unveiling ceremony of Cesar Chavez Lane was Ro Parker, the current director of Stu dent Equity at Boise State University.
Associate Vice President James Maguire sent an email to the City of Boise Planning Director Hal Simmons on April 5, 2007, requesting the name change. “Boise State University wishes to honor one of the University‘s most generous donors and longtime bronco supporter, Velma Morrison, by renaming that portion of Cesar Chavez Lane (formerly Campus Lane) in front of the Morrison Center to Velma Morrison Lane,” Maguire wrote in the email. “Dr. Kustra has asked that I expedite the formalization of the renaming to appropriately honor Miss Morrison.” Kustra said he didn’t remember making that request.
Just nine days later, on March 15, the Planning and Development Services for the City of Boise approved the request, according to public records.
legacy aside, a Hispanic union organizer isn’t a common figure you find being honored in Idaho, despite the state’s heavy reliance on exploiting Hispan ic labor for its large agriculture economy. Where Chavez’s controversial legacy meets Boise State’s past, however, isn’t until the ensued naming of a street near and dear to the university: Cesar Chavez Lane.
“BSU’s statement was that they wanted to recognize union leaders and people speaking up for underrepresented workers, but … students that were there at the time … thought the reason for this was for the pressure put onto the university,” Parker told The Arbiter by phone.
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On March 6, 2006, Boise State ap plied for the street “Campus Lane” to be changed to Cesar Chavez Lane. On that same day, the university’s plan ning director, Laurence Blake, wrote an email to the Boise City Council requesting approval for renaming Campus Lane to Cesar Chavez Lane.
Velma Morrison vs. Cesar Chavez
“This situation is a clear demonstration of the classism that exists on this campus. If it doesn’t shout ‘money’ or ’Fiesta Bowl’ the President refuses to care or become involved,” Neal wrote. “Several attempts to meet with the president over this and other matters have also been ignored.” Neal went on to say that this “clandestine approach to campus politics” was unacceptable and called on the adminis tration to be held accountable for what she called “their dishonest actions.”
To some, Cesar Chavez Lane didn’t appear out of the virtue of the universi ty’s heart. Rather, the street naming and preservation was the result of student and faculty-led organizing. It shines a light on what students and faculty are able to accomplish, even when facing opposition from large donors.
After Harry Morrison passed away in 1973, his wife of twelve years, Velma Mor rison, built on Harry’s foundation and left her mark in the Boise area for endowing the arts and donating large sums of money to local institutions, one of those being Boise State University. Among other projects, Velma helped ensure Harry’s dream of establishing a performing arts center in his hometown, according to the Morrison Center’s web site. This dream resulted in a public-private partnership through which the Morrison Center was born.
On March 23, 2007, almost a year after the first application for Cesar Chavez Lane to be renamed, Boise State submitted a request for part of “Cesar Chavez Lane” to be named “Velma Morrison Lane.” The request read that Cesar Chavez lane would be cut starting at the Morrison center, with Velma Morrison Lane being between Capitol Blvd & Brady Street. Laurence Blake signed off on the email.
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The Naming of Cesar Chavez Lane In the mid-2000’s, Cesar Chavez Lane was born out of a pressure campaign led by students and faculty upset over Taco Bell’s sponsorship of the campus sports and mu sic venue, as the national corporation was being boycotted for labor violations.
About a month later on May 3, 2007, former opinion writer for The Arbiter, Kate Neal, published a critical piece in The Arbiter upon receiving an anonymous tip about the potential change.
“I don’t remember the opinion piece. I do remember the fact that I had to break the news to Velma that we were going to go the route of Cesar Chavez Lane,” Kustra told The Arbiter over the phone.
“...We want to tell them that we got this business open, and it’s been suc cessful. It kinda gives encouragement to other new Americans in Idaho,” Shams said.The Shams sisters are adamant that an important source for a community to be brought together is through food. As new Americans share their experi ences and stories in Boise, the taste of the city is diversifying, and Sunshine Spices’ second location is a testament to the importance of sharing food and culture.“Ifnew refugees open restaurants, it will have an impact. I believe people will want to try new foods,” Homeyra Shams said.Sunshine and Spice Cafe’s second location will be opening at the end of the year on 10th Street between Bannock and Idaho and will be providing student discounts to Boise State students with proof of ID.
Photo courtesy of Sarah A. Miller
This year’s Pride Festival schedule is available on the Boise Pride website. Atten dance is Performersfree. for this year’s festival include The Starbelly Dancers, Lezbe Kings, The Pearl Tones and many more.
Williamson shared that after COVID hit in 2020, the festival was moved to September.Themove resulted in positive feedback from attendees, vendors and performers.
All festival performances will take place at Cecil D. Andrus Park, 601 W. Jefferson.
B
oise Pride is hosting its 33rd annual Pride Festival from Sept. 9-11 featuring new local, national and global talent.
Boise’s Pride Festival was first postponed to September because of the COVID pandemic. Now, this practice has become tradition.
“Finding a space was really difficult. First we were from a different country, and secondly we were women ... so no one would give us space to rent.” - Homeyra Shams, co-owner of Sun shine Spice Cafe
CULTURE September 1, 2022 | ARBITERONLINE.COM 12 | ARBITERONLINE.COMSEPTEMBER 1, 2022 WHY IS BOISE PRIDE IN SEPTEMBER?
REFUGEES AND THE BOISE FOOD SCENE
“This community has been targeted for a while now, so the festival is one way to show this community and its allies the support they do have,” Williamson said. “It can be easy to feel isolated sometimes when you have all that stuff going on.”
Donald Williamson, the executive director of Boise Pride and the Boise Pride Festival, shared that the main goal of the festival is to show the LGBTQIA+ com munity that they have support.
Boise Pride made the decision to host the festival in September going forward.
Naomi Priddy | Culture Reporter | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu
Prior to COVID, Boise’s Pride Festival was one of the fastest-growing Pride festi vals in the nation.
“Having the festival in September allows us to attract vendors that wouldn’t normally come to Boise because they have to decide which city’s festival to attend,” Williamson said. “It allows us to book talent, stop competing with other pride festivals and allows us to support other pride festivals in the state. It also allows more Boise State students to attend.”
Boise’s first Afghani bakery to open second location
Mainstage-featured performers include Vassy, Greyson Chance and Monét X Change.TheBoise Pride Festival Rally begins Saturday morning, and the Fred Meyer Parade begins Sunday morning with a lot of additional activities and events taking place throughout the weekend.
The Sham sisters knew they wanted to share their love of Afghani culture with Boise but were initially met with distrust.“Finding a space was really difficult,” Homeyra Shams said. “First we were from a different country, and secondly we were women, and everywhere we went people wouldn’t trust us and didn’t believe that we could do it and thought we would fail, so no one would give us space to rent.”
The Shams sisters opened their pri mary location off of Fairview Avenue in Boise in December of 2019 before the height of COVID, but despite pandemic barriers, they were met with an outpour of support from the Boise community.
S unshine Spice Cafe, Boise’s first Afghani bakery, is opening a second location in Downtown Boise. Currently in the process of working with architect Rob Thornton, the cafe is hoping to get their building permit approved by the end of Septem ber.Sunshine Spice Cafe is run by sisters Homeyra, Bahar S. Amir, Khatera and Narges Shams. Born in Afghanistan, they came to Boise with hardly any English experience and quickly had to learn what life looked like in the United States.
33rd Boise Pride Festival to take place Sept. 9-11 Hanalei Potempa | Culture Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu
“We had a lot of customers … We opened through the pandemic, and when we closed for five months, we got messages from people telling us how much they loved our pastries and giving us encouragement to reopen,” Homeyra Shams said. “When we reopened, the support was even greater.”
In addition to coffee, Sunshine Spice offers saffron puddings, dumplings, stuffed breads and other items close to the Shams sisters’ hearts. Through opening a business, Homeyra Shams shared that she wanted to encour age other new Americans.
A mong the luminosity of gold leaf and stitched fabric are the portraits of Black Americans whose stories “once slipped through the margins of society,” as stated by Kilolo Luckett, have been given life through the breath and work of Stephen Towns.Inhis 2021-2022 exhibit “Declaration and Resistance,” Towns explores the Amer ican dream through the lens of African American workers and their influence on shapingAmongsociety.35painting and story quilts created and currently displayed at the Boise Art Museum are the stories of perseverance and love that exist among Black individu als outside the bounds of white supremacy. In collaboration with Curator Kilolo Luckett, Towns walks us through the sto ries of “The Nurtures,” “The Coal Miners” and “A New Generation,” exploring the impact of nurses, educators, cooks, work ers and everyday individuals. Through the use of archives, Towns col lected photographs, publications and oral histories to resurrect and mend the missing pieces of American history.
NP: You said that this exhibit had been one of the most challenging ones you’d worked on. Was there anything specific that made this more challenging than other projects?
Naomi Priddy: What was it like holding space for so many individuals and stories over the past few years?
NP: How does it feel having your gallery in conservative states like Idaho?
DECLARATION AND RESISTANCE: A CONVERSATION WITH STEPHEN TOWNS
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NP: You mentioned that initially your work was supposed to take on a darker, heavier tone and then you transformed it into something that was more celebratory. Do you wanna talk a little bit about what made that transition happen?
ST: I had spent a lot of time learning, learning about coal miners ... I was going into chain gains. I was going into a lot of recon post-war sort of reconstruction workforce … but I think going through COVID was already very stressful so I needed to pick lighter work. A lot of my work previous to this show was about en slaved people in the United States. I spent so many years learning about that time period that I sort of just needed to take a small break and focus on the celebratory things that people have overcome.
ST: It’s been interesting having the feed back, being in these conservative areas at first, I was afraid. I thought work would be damaged.I thought somebody would paint over something, but then I was like, whoa, who am I. This is the area where people need to see this, and hopefully it’ll bring out a curiosity that wasn’t there before.
ST: Because I work a lot from archival photos a lot of it is about seeing someone and seeing the look in someone’s eyes and figuring out what they were going through at that time period, and a lot of times I have an intuition, or something is telling me that this person wants their story to be told. And the sort of the difficult thing is that sometimes we don’t have all of the backstory behind a person, and I hope that at some point somebody will be able to do that work long after I’m gone. I like to distinguish that I’m an artist and not a historian, and it takes a lot more work to be a historian than it does for me to make these artworks.
Stephen Towns: It was overwhelming, but it was good to go through these stories. Before COVID, I spent a lot of time work ing. Now I’m a full-time artist, so spending lots of time learning about stories of work ers, working, workers strikes, just things that people were going through doing labor. It was very sort of eye opening while at the same time we were going through this crisis of labor of essential workers.
The exhibition will be at the Boise Art Museum until Sept. 18 with a general fee of $6.
Boise Art Museum’s new exhibit explores the lives of Black Americans through the lens of labor workers
ST: It was the sheer amount of work that I had done ... I created a lot of work for that show and I had all of these ideas that I wanted to get out, and I didn’t sort of reign in myself and say, “Wait, like may be a little less.” It was because there were just so many pieces that I was working on at the same time, that made it over whelming. But then I realized I’m making artwork. These other people were doing much more ... It’s a thing of pleasure that I’m able to do this. I’m very lucky to be able to spend my time doing this.
ST: I would want people to feel proud of themselves. I want them to realize how important they are in American history. Because I think sometimes you can feel like, why am I doing this? Especially if you’re working, I spend a lot of time in re tail and so sometimes you’re like, well, why am I doing this? I just keep going through the grind.I hope that if they were around, they would feel dignity and see the dignity that I created in the artworks.
Naomi Priddy | Culture Reporter | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu
“I Am the Glory” (pictured above) is featured in Stephen Towns’ art exhibit, “Decla ration and Resistance,” at the Boise Art Museum. Photo courtesy of Joseph Hyde
NP: If some of the individuals that you did paint were able to view your exhibit, what would you want them to take away or to feel?
NP: What was the emotional relation ship you started to feel with the individu als you were painting about?
CULTURE
‘ASSEMBLING SELF’ VISUAL ART EXHIBIT NOW OPEN IN THE SUB
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Jimenez Edwards shared that this piece illustrates fluidity of the border and the different experiences immigrants have. It also highlights the communication be tween family members over the border.
arianna Jimenez Edwards, a local Mexican American artist, presents a variety of visual arts pieces inspired by her experiences as a Mexican American woman living in the United States. The exhibit is now open on campus at the Student Union building. Jimenez Edwards uses a mixture of me dia including paint and found imagery to portray themes valued in ancient hispanic culture, as well as the delicate and specific experience of living as a Mexican Amer ican woman stuck between two different worlds.“‘Assembling self,’ that’s kind of what I’m doing in most of those works,” Ed wards said. “I take things and put them together to assign a new meaning that I have for them within that idea that these things are about my experience as a Mex ican American woman here in the United States.”Jimenez Edwards shared that she was especially inspired by symbols in Mexican culture.“Inpre-Hispanic Mexico, there was a lot of emphasis on nature and things that were happening in the natural world, like nat ural phenomena, the sun, the moon, the stars,” Jimenez Edwards said. “Everything had meaning, everything had symbolism.”
For her piece titled “Dreamweaver,” Jimenez Edwards shared that she wanted to illustrate the idea of staying true to oneself and not allowing the infiltration of external sources affect people’s views of the beauty in the world. Jimenez Edwards shared that this oil painting was actually inspired by a real life photograph taken of a friend. “I really loved that she looked so proud in her huipil, which is a traditional dress or blouse that indigenous women wear,”, Jimenez Edwards said. “She just looks so assertive and strong.” In this piece Jimenez Edwards illustrates a woman with a strong sense of self who is proud of her culture amidst the chaotic colliding of worlds. “Ever since I was a little girl I noticed anyone who wore those blouses were asserting something about themselves,” Jimenez Edwards said. “They were saying ‘this is who I am, this is my culture and I am proud of it.’” In the “Assembling Self” exhibit Jimenez Edwards has a collection of three related pieces titled “Somos Estrellas,” “Astro nauta” and “Polvo de Luna,” which are a sequence of paintings that connect to one another.These three pieces all include the image of a girl, all created using mixed media on a woodThesepanel.pieces as well as many more from the “Assembling Self” exhibit are located at the Trueblood Pop Up Gallery on the sec ond floor of the Student Union Building. The exhibit is free and available to any one and will be open to viewers through the end of the fall semester.
“I wanted it to represent the idea that the border is kind of a fluid space, because in our mind we are creating this fixed line,” Jimenez Edwards said. “If you are an immigrant or the descendant of an immigrant you are kind of always ‘on the fringe.’ You’re not here, not there, you’re in this in-between space.” To present this concept, Jimenez Edwards included images like a mother and child, the American flag, the Mexican peso, as well as real postage stamps given to Jimenez Edwards by her mother.
One of Jimenez Edwards’ more collage style pieces titled “Fringe” is based on a specific experience of Mexican- American immigrants and their families.
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Jiminez Edwards shared that her own mother and father used these postage stamps featured in the art piece to send letters to one another from either side of the border in the 1980s.
“I made that (Fringe) in response to the detention centers on the border and chil dren being separated from their families,” Jimenez Edwards said. “That has had a really big impact on the Mexican Ameri can community and all the communities that are affected by immigration.”
Marianna Jimenez Edwards shares her visual art pieces inspired by her Mexican-American cultures Hanalei Potempa | Culture Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu
Marianna Jimenez Edwards’ visual art exhibit “Assembling Self” is displayed on the second floor of the Student Union Building. Photo courtesy of Hanalei Potempa
Naomi
CULTURE
I n biologist Lulu Miller’s 2020 part-history, part-memoir “Why Fish Don’t Exist,” we are introduced to the author and narrator in an explo ration of her past and her confrontation with nihilism: the rejection of all religious and spiritual systems that say existence is meaningless.Atayoung age Miller was taunted by a famous quote from Charles Darwin that hung in her fathers office: “There is gran deur in this view of life … if you can’t see, shame on you.” Her father, Chris Miller, was a man of science who taught his children from a young age that their existence was meaningless. Despite this belief, he often used Darwin’s quote as a lesson, reminding Miller that without meaning you can see the bigger picture of existence and your small place in it. He saw the beauty in life and hoped the same for his children, but MillerMillerstruggled.washenceforth burdened with the mental duty of “seeing the grandeur” while simultaneously growing up with the belief that life and people are meaningless. The struggle to understand her place in the world and see the beauty of existence remains a neverending presence in her life and throughout the book. As our narrator enters adulthood she finds herself in a deep depression that leads her to an attempted suicide.Atthat moment, Miller knew something in her life needed to change. She saw her father and the way he carelessly enjoyed life despite his views on existence, and she decided she wanted to find something that would keep her grounded in her life. In this journey towards mental peace, she turns towards the most unlikely of places to find it. Miller develops an obsessive interest in 19th century taxonomist David Starr Jordan — a man who dedicated his life to collecting, ordering and labeling over 10,850 fish species. Jordan clung to the same Darwin quote that taunted Miller and like her father, rejected all belief sys tems. However, he claims the discovery of findingMillerorder.dedicates the next year of her life to exploring everything there is to discover about Jordan, and his research becomes a prevalent theme throughout the novel and a vital aspect of her search to prove the existence of order. We are met with an author who delves deeply into what it means to exist while simultaneously warning those who ask the same“Thequestions:problem with spending one’s time pondering the futility of it all is that you divert that precious electricity gifted to you by evolution—those sacred ions that could make you feel so many wonderful sensa tions and think so many wonderful ideas — and you flush it all down the drain of existential inquiry, causing you to literally die while the body is still alive.”
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‘WHY
It was passages like that that inspired me to continue reading. I consider myself to be a bit of an existentialist, so when Miller decided to outworldly criticize critical phi losophy, I was intrigued. I was faced with the question of: Does it serve me to try and understand everything? And in turn as I read on I was met with lessons of undo ing existentialism and finding contentment with the way things are.
The novel serves as a profound review of Miller’s own experiences through depres sion, philopshy, suicide and nihilism, and her attempt to remedy her struggles through her research of Jordan. The novel gives readers an intimate glimpse into the mental health of the writer and, in turn, offers an opportunity to consider their own experience with the meaning of existence.Miller’s explorative uses of poetic language seasoned with scientific verbiage made for passages worth re-reading. It stands as an excellent page turner for any reader looking for a light read with big themes.Through the lens of ordering fish, the reader can unveil the truth of order in life and learn, like Miller, how to find stability in an unstable world. “We barely know the world around us, even the simplest things under our feet.. we have been wrong before and we will be wrong again ... the true path to progress is paved not with certainty but doubt, with being open to revision.” I found myself worried as I opened the blue cover expecting to form a relationship with Miller but was instead taken on a journey of chaos and obsession from the author. I thought I understood the purpose the taxonomist served in the book; but as chapters moved forward I was lost on the truth about this character and his relation ship with the author and the readers. Promise yourself to stick through it. If you do, you will be met with a provoca tive and enlightening turn-around where “nowhere is the sky so blue, the grass so green, the sunshine so bright, the shade so welcome, as right here, now, today.” By the end, the reader will be convinced that fish don’t exist.
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Lulu Miller delves deeply into the meaning of human existence in her novel “Why Fish Don’t Exist.” Photo courtesy of Naomi Priddy MILLER’S FISH DON’T EXIST’ IS A MUST-READ provocative dive into love, loss, meaning and existence Priddy Culture Reporter culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu
LULU
Adam Bridges | Sports & Rec Editor | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu he Recreation Center (the Rec) is one of the most prom inent buildings at Boise State, and with the large number of programs and opportunities provided to students, it has become a cornerstone of campus life. As students make their way to the Rec this semester, here are three things to know about its many offerings.
Pricing and Availability Above all, the biggest feature of the Rec Center is its accessibility to students.
The Rec hosts a number of intramurals including flag football, volleyball, basket ball, spikeball and many more.
The Climbing Gym also holds climbing clinics and classes to teach proper rock climbing instructions to students. According to the Climbing Gym’s web site, the classes and clinics will go over all pieces of gear needed to climb as well as the procedures required to climb and belay in the gym. Students who are willing to take their participation with the Climbing Gym to the next level can become belay certified. Students interested in belay certification will have to pay a $10 fee and get tested during open hours by the rock climbing staff. Certification expires after one year.
The Rec Center Climbing Gym was built into the original Rec Center plans, making it as old as the building itself. It consists of a 35-foot climbing wall with over 60 routes that wrap alongside the building and a small bouldering area near the entrance of the area. Although it may seem intimidating at first glance, the Outdoor Program assures that the climbing gym is very user-friend ly and welcoming to all climbers. “The 35-foot wall … looks intimidat ing when you first walk in, but I feel like all the staff here are super friendly and very welcoming,” said Outdoor Program staff member Collin Dauenhauer. “When I first got started here, I peeked my head around the corner and got scared. My previous boss then welcomed me in and made me feel comfortable.”
“I think one of the most popular things at the start of the year is intramural sports,” said Campus Recreation Associ ate Director Jared Cox. “Coming off of COVID, there will be no restrictions or limitations to any sports.”
To register for intramurals, a student must purchase a $30 play pass. The play pass will cover all sports for the fall and spring semesters. Once they purchase the pass, they will be allowed to log into the IMLeagues website and register for any event.The IMLeagues website also carries a “free agent” feature for team sports. The free agent feature allows a student to get added to a team that is currently regis tered for an event. This allows students to participate in an activity they enjoy without needing a designated group of teammates.
The Rec Center has a variety of programs and athletic opportunities available to Boise State students
SPORTS & REC September 1, 2022 | ARBITERONLINE.COM THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CAMPUS RECREATION CENTER
The Climbing Gym accommodates everyone’s experience level with multiple courses varying in difficulty from a 5.6 to a 5.13. Climbers are allowed to follow the color-coordinated paths or free climb, also known as “rainbowing,” their way up to the top of the wall. “My favorite part about the climbing wall is the community,” Dauenhauer said. “It is so welcoming and friendly. It is not as scary as some climbing gyms can be.”
The Climbing Gym
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The Rec Center membership is free to all full-time students and $55 per semes ter for all part-time students.
Any student enrolled in classes is allowed to register and partake in any intramural sport.
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No matter if a student is commuting or living on campus, any student enrolled in 11 credits or more is allowed to use the Rec Center as much as they want at no charge.Allmembership pricing options for people not enrolled at Boise State are listed on Boise State’s Campus Recreation website.TheRec Center is also offering different types of memberships. They are now of fering five day, 10 day and 30-day passes on top of their original semester-long pass. Students can participate in a number of athletic activities through the Boise State Recreation Center. Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter
The Climbing Gym is open Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Campus Intramurals Although campus intramural sports are not always held in the Rec Center building, the Rec Center is in charge of managing all the intramural sports.
Marlei Soderquist | Sports & Rec Reporter | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu 2022
There are high expectations for Cobbs’ productivity, especially in leadership positions, as he enters this year with the Broncos.Cobbs recorded the second-most receiving player with 421 yards and sec ond-most touchdown receptions last year behind Shakir. His performance on the field last season landed him on the watchlist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and the Paul Hornung Award.
With Khalil Shakir’s departure to the NFL, four key players — Stefan Cobbs, JL Skinner, Scott Matlock and Seyi Oladiopo — may assume his position as wide receiver. Corissa Campbell | The Arbiter
SPORTS & REC
T he Boise State Broncos are looking to fill a key leadership role after losing one of their biggest playmakers to the 2022 NFL Draft. Since the departure of wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who is now playing in New York for the Buffalo Bills, Boise State Football has its eyes wandering around for a new star for the team. Shakir led the Broncos in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns during the 2021 season. He was also vot ed to the All-Mountain West First Team in 2020 and 2021. Not only did Shakir perform on the field, but also off the field with three Academic All-Mountain West selections in 2018, 2019 and 2020. With the season set to start, there are a few notable players that are on track to take over that key role. No.1 Stefan Cobbs Redshirt senior receiver Stefan Cobbs is one player that media outlets are saying to look out for this season.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award is given annually to the top offensive player in Division I football and the Paul Hornung Award recognizes the most ver satile and high-level performer in college football.Withall this garnered attention, there are high expectations for him. No. 2 JL Skinner Entering his senior year, safety JL Skin ner will be a key defensive player for the Broncos this year. Skinner started all 12 games last season and led the Broncos with 92 tackles, 66 solo tackles and three fumble recoveries. Skinner established his dominance and made a name for himself in the college football realm last season after a highlight clip of him performing a hit stick tackle on an Oklahoma State receiver went viral. Skinner has been appointed to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List and the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. Skinner is an exciting player to watch on the field and is projected to have tremendous potential for the 2022 season with the Broncos. No. 3 Scott Matlock Redshirt senior Scott Matlock has been a prominent defensive tackle for the Broncos during the past two seasons and has a trajectory to have an even better 2022Matlockseason.started all 12 games in the 2021 season and registered a team-leading 8.5 tackles for loss, including seven sacks. He also led the team in 29 solo tackles and 41 tackles total. Matlock has also been placed on the Bednarik Award Watch List as well as the Outland Trophy Watch List. Scott Matlock – the Homedale, Idaho, native – is set to be a large contributor to the Broncos’ defense this season. No. 4 Seyi Oladiopo Entering his second season with Boise State, sophomore defensive back Seyi Oladipo has proved himself to be a young and vital piece to the Bronco defense by providing heaps of energy on and off the field.Last season, Oladipo appeared in all 12 games. During his time on the field, he registered two interceptions and four pass breakups. He was also voted Mountain West Freshman of the Week on Sept. 13, 2021.Oladipo is likely to improve his game this season, so fans should keep an eager eye on him. What comes next? With notable success on the field in recent years, these players have been quite the standout among Broncos. Regardless of whether they can com pletely step into Shakir’s role from last season, each of these players will add lead ership and competition to the team.
THE DARK HORSES OF BOISE STATE FOOTBALL
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The Boise State Broncos need a new wide receiver. Who will be up next?
As a part of the University of Houston’s stadium opening committee, Dickey also secured a 10-year, $15 million nam ing rights partnership with Texas Dow Employees Credit Union (TDECU). This agreement ranked third nationally among all collegiate facilities for corporate nam ingNotagreements.onlydid Dickey make an impact on the total funding amount, but he also helped set records in game attendance. In Dickey’s first year, the University of Houston sold a then-record 15,022 foot ball season tickets, and baseball season ticket sales increased by 185%. During his second year, Houston sold 25,311 football season tickets and received a record-high 38,953 fans in attendance.Dickeyalso loves bringing in fans as much as he loves spending money at BoiseBoiseState.State had record-breaking atten dance last season after being criticized from Bleacher Report for not being able to fill the stands. The football team recorded a new single game home attendance record in their game against Nevada after 37,426 fans were in “Recordsattendance.aremeant to be broken,” Dickey said in a tweet after the game. The gifts and commitments that aided Dickey’s wild success is due in part to the Boise Athletic Association annual scholarship fund, the philanthropic giving to the Lyle Smith Society, sport-specific enhancement funds and annual athletic endowment distributions. Even with this year’s record-shattering donations, there is still much left to do to reach the athletic department’s $300 million goal.
Photo courtesy of Boise State Athletics
At the University of Houston, Dickey cemented his role as the “master of fund raising” after he set fundraising records for seven consecutive years. More than 4,000 Cougar Pride mem bers contributed $6.4 million during the 2014-2015 fiscal year. This topped the previous year’s $5.2 million in donations from that same group.
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Boise State’s new Athletics Master Village is budgeted at $300 million.
ow do you quickly raise money to fund a $300 mil lionAskproject?Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey. With the recent announcement of the new Athletics Master Village at Boise State, many people deemed it a “stretch” not just because of the drastic changes on campus, but because of the finances involved.“This‘vision’ is unrealistic,” Jordan Kaye wrote in an Idaho Press article. “Everything unveiled [for the Athletics Master Village] … will not come to frui tion. That is a guarantee.” After the $300 million budget cost was announced, students are starting to wonder where the money is going to comeFortunately,from. when it comes to fundrais ing, Dickey has a plan. Dickey announced on Aug. 22 that Boise State Athletics set the department’s all-time single-year fundraising record with $24.1 million in support during the 2022 fiscal year. This year’s fundraising total saw a 66% growth in just one year, rising from $14.5 million to $24.1 million. With Dickey’s grand plan, the $300 million will come over time. For now, raising $24 million is a small step in the rightThedirection.announcement comes on the heels of the university-wide celebration of an overall institutional annual fundraising record of $56.5 million for Boise State University.Thisisn’t the first time that Dickey came up big in times of need. Dickey was named associate vice pres ident for Athletic Operations at Baylor University in 2017. Before that position, Dickey was hired at the University of Houston as the associate director for de velopment and promoted as the Cougars’ deputy athletics director.
SPORTS & REC 18 | ARBITERONLINE.COMSEPTEMBER 1, 2022 How will Boise State and Jeramiah Dickey come up with $300 million?
Marlei Soderquist | Sports & Rec Reporter sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu
A glimpse into Dickey’s promising fundraising and game attendance history
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